


The Lyrium Woman

by galapagos



Series: Molto Allegra [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Assassins, Family Reunions, Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 12:57:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3411476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galapagos/pseuds/galapagos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Allegra is an ex-assassin with lyrium tattoos. She was supposed to be a more stable version of Magister Danarius' experiment with Fenris. But when he escaped, she followed suit. Now the Breach and Corypheus threaten the world and Allegra wants to help The Inquisition and find the only family she thinks will still want to see her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lyrium Woman

**Author's Note:**

> Dorian's dad is a pretty sick dude. He may have felt bad after he drove away his son, but he still tried to use blood magic to change who he was. I didn't think this would be much of a stretch for him.

The dark eyed Tevinter woman looked at the lyrium tattoos on her hands and forearms. She had large swirls on her elbows and snaked down her arms in lazy curves branching out at her wrists to cover her hand in an intricate pattern. A thin line across her upper arm, splitting at her shoulders to run across the back of her shoulders and collarbone. It connected the tattoos on both arms. It was reminiscent of a choke vine. She sighed and pulled on her long gloves to covering the majority of the tattoos. She’d never wanted them, but it had been her duty to have them. Well, duty be damned. She had abandoned duty long ago. Now she was done hiding from the past. She had left Tevinter and her old life behind and now was on her way to join the Inquisition.  
Allegra had been an assassin in the employ of the magisters. She was actually a niece of the current head of House Pavus, her father had been his younger brother, but she was a disgrace because she had no magical talent whatsoever. Her father was deceased, killed in a magical duel, her mother had remarried, leaving her daughter behind once it was clear she wouldn’t be a mage. So, her uncle had sent her away and trained as an assassin. It was the only honorable job left to her in Tevinter’s magic obsessed society.  
After Magister Danarius experiment with lyrium tattoos had been ‘successful’ on his first test subject, Danarius and her uncle had made an alliance and Allegra had been chosen as the second ‘lucky recipient’. The poor man Danarius had used as a test subject, Leto, had lost his memories, his mind rebelling against the pain and the lyrium. So, they had limited Allegra’s tattoos to her hands, arms, and feet. They were also much thinner than the original recipients. Danarius had calculated that would give her the the abilities without causing her mind to break and wasting her training.  
The pain had been excruciating. Allegra hadn’t known how the other man had lived. It took her weeks to regain enough strength to stand. Then they had started the training. The lyrium hurt all the time. Usually it was a dull ache, but when she used it or they marks were touched they burned. But she could walk without making a sound and stick her hand into someones chest and pull their heart out. Plus, she hadn’t lost her mind. So the magisters considered it a roaring success. Allegra disagreed. She felt like a monster.  
It wasn’t long after that Allegra had heard the other test subject, who was now called Fenris, had escaped. She kept on ear out for news, but he was never caught. That was when she decided to leave. “If he can do it, I can too.” she thought. She made plans, waited months so no one would suspect anything and one day she faked her death and disappeared.  
Allegra had travelled for a while, she visited Orlais, Ferelden, and finally settled in Antiva once she was satisfied no one was looking for her. It was nice there. The Crows had a monopoly on assassination, but Allegra wasn’t really interested in joining them. She changed her name and opened a small book shop. When the _‘Tale of the Champion’_ came out Allegra thought about sending a message to Fenris, via the author Varric Tethras but decided it was a bad idea. They had both made lives outside of Tevinter, she didn’t want to drag up the past. Besides, she didn’t know what to say.  
Then the Breach opened. After word spread about Tevinter time magic in Redcliffe, Allegra knew she couldn’t hide anymore. She was trying to figure out how to best offer her services to the newborn Inquisition when she heard the strangest rumor. A Tevinter mage named Dorian Pavus had joined the Inquisition and was reportedly a close friend of the Herald of Andraste. She’d kept abreast of the rumors and had heard that little Dorian had grown up to be a powerful mage but had become the family disgrace by fleeing an arranged marriage. Now her little cousin was a friend of the Herald? She’d found her way in.  
~  
 __Dear Number One Family Disgrace,  
You may not remember me, but I’m your cousin. We were never close, but I remember you as a kid. I think the last time we saw each other you were about six and starting your training as a mage. I was twelve and was being sent away to school. Despite what you may have heard, I’m not dead. It was a fake. I can’t explain in a letter, it’s not safe, but let me know if it’s ok for me to come see you. I hear you’re friends with the Herald of Andraste and I’d like to help. You can send a letter to Carla’s Bookshop on Marina Street in Antiva City. She’ll make sure it gets to me.  
Love,  
Number Two Family Disgrace  
P.S. I think you just barely beat me for the title.  
~  
Allegra had been afraid to put her name on anything but she knew that Dorian could figure it out. Even presumed dead, she had been the number one family disgrace until recently. Besides, Allegra had lived with Dorian’s family as a child and she’d thought of the boy like a little brother. But, she hadn’t seen him since she had been sent away for training, and she didn’t know what he was like now.  
She waited a few week when a messenger arrived from the Inquisition with a letter. She thanked him and assured him it would be given to the appropriate party. As soon as he left she had gone into the back room and read it eagerly.

~  
Dear Number Two Family Disgrace,  
I remember you. I was eight, I was just small for my age. You weren’t much bigger than I was either. You are right though, I did think you were dead. If you’re not, we can use your help. If you are, we can use the help anyway. Someone will contact you and help you get here without the V. finding out. I assume you know who that is.  
Love,  
Family Disgrace Number One.  
P.S. We can always have a rematch for the title.  
~  
Allegra had laughed. Dorian had been a precocious child. Obviously he hadn’t grown out of it either. An agent of the Inquisition had shown up a several days later, pretending to be a customer. Allegra had been worried, but she was assured that everything was alright. The Inquisition’s old headquarters had been attacked by Darkspawn and Red Templars but they had established a new base in the mountain. She had given Allegra the plan to get her to the Inquisition’s stronghold. She was to meet an ex-Crow in one week. He would escort her to Skyhold. Allegra agreed, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but she didn’t want to let on to her special talents just yet. She wasn’t sure how well received they would be.  
Allegra checked her pack, she had everything she needed. She was leaving the young woman she had hired some time ago, Ria, in charge of the shop. She’d told her she was going to visit family. If anything happened to her she was leaving it to the girl anyway. She was a nice girl and her family could use the extra money.  
Allegra headed to the docks where she was supposed to meet her contact. The meeting place was a tavern. It was actually a pretty nice place, clean and always busy. The perfect place for a secret rendezvous. It was only in stories that secret meeting took place in dark back alleys or secluded locations. Meetings there were obvious, in a busy tavern it was normal.  
Allegra took a seat at a free table, ordered a drink, and waited for her contact to arrive.  
“Ah, so this is the beautiful lady my friend said to meet? A pleasure.” The elf said as he sat across from Allegra. He had a very heavy Antivian accent. Allegra smiled cordially while she gave the agreed upon answer, “Yes, I’m Carla. You must be Jass. Our friends neglected to tell me how handsome you were!” The meeting went off without a hitch. They chatted for a while making benign small talk. They looked and sounded like two people who had been set up on a blind date. After about an hour, they left and the man offered to escort her home. Instead of going home, they picked up their packs from where they were hidden outside the tavern and quietly left the city.  
The ex-Crow was able to get them out without anyone seeing them. In under an hour they were outside the gates and on horseback heading toward Skyhold. They rode about half the night, then made camp.  
“So, pretty lady. What is your real name? Our friends neglected to tell me. Mine is Zevran, by the way.” Zevran said with a flourishing bow.  
“Allegra. You’re the Zevran that travelled with the Hero of Ferelden?” she asked.  
“Yes I am,” he said, a little sadly.  
“The world lost a great hero when she killed the archdemon.”  
“And I lost a true friend. But she would not wish us to dwell on the past. You are from Tevinter, yes?”  
He sat down next to her, while she started a small fire. She didn't take off her gloves.  
“Yes. It’s the accent isn’t it? I’ve never been able to completely cover it up.”  
“That and the fact that Leliana told me.” Zevran said with a laugh.  
Allegra smiled, he acted very easy going but she could see through the affectation. She played along, not wishing to tip her hand just yet.  
“Oh, did she tell you anything else about me? They didn’t say anything about you.” she said innocently.  
“No, just that you needed an escort to Skyhold.” She could tell he was telling the truth. She had been the best non-magical assassin in Tevinter before she defected. She had no doubt that he was at least as good, but she could always tell when someone was lying to her or even hiding something. It was a gift, and a curse.  
“You better get some sleep, I’ll take first watch.” he added.  
She agreed, unrolled her bedroll and settled down by the fire. Allegra didn’t worry too much, she slept very lightly.  
****  
Zevran knew Allegra was hiding something. He watched her carefully during their first few day of travel. At first he thought perhaps she was a blood mage. The gloves and long sleeves she always wore could cover her scars, but he soon dismissed the notion. He had traveled with mages. She didn’t move like a mage. The way she walked, the way she watched her surrounding she moved like… Well, she moved like a crow. Besides, she never used magic.  
There were no horses for them when they reached Fereldan. They met an Inquisition camp, but were informed that they needed the horses urgently and the two travelers would have to walk. Allegra and Zevran gave the horses up and left on foot. Neither were too happy, but they didn’t complain either.  
It was mid afternoon, and Allegra was walking ahead of Zevran. He was watching her walk. It was careful and she rolled her feet a little like it hurt to walk, but she was completely silent. She was an assassin, he was sure of it. She had a short sword belted at her waist but he thought it was mostly for show. He could see a faint outline of extra stitching on her sleeves where she kept some small knives. He also guessed she had holster in her boots. The way she watched potential threats, he guessed she preferred to use knives or hand to hand. He still couldn’t figure out why she wore the gloves and long sleeves.  
He couldn't resist finding out if his suspicion was correct. “You are an assassin, yes?”  
****  
Allegra was silent for a moment. She knew Zevran had been watching her since they left Antiva. He was good, she knew he would figure it out eventually. She decided to play the truth card.  
“I was once, but I quit. I run, no, ran a bookstore in Antiva.”  
“Ah. But now you leave your early retirement to offer your services to the Inquisition.”  
“Pretty much. You cut ties with the Crows and work for yourself now?”  
“Yes, dear lady. I am surprised you did not become freelance, you are obviously very deadly as well as beautiful. But I confess I do not know how assassins usually operate in Tevinter, so perhaps you were already in your own employ?”  
“There are guilds, similar to the Crows. Noble houses often have private assassins. I no longer wished to be an assassin at all, hence the bookstore.” The conversation was over, they continued on in silence after Allegra indicated Zevran should lead the way for a while.  
****  
She had ignored the compliments. The woman wasn’t angered like Morrigan had been or embarrassed like Alistair. She just ignored him. It reminded him a little of Kiri. They were women who walked with a purpose. He just wished he could figure out why she wore those gloves! Perhaps she had a thing about dirt.  
“Zev,” Allegra hissed. “Mages. Up ahead.” She moved off the path, and into the trees. This area was heavily wooded and it was rumored that some rebel mages were still hiding here. Zevran couldn't see anything but followed the woman’s lead. She slipped quietly ahead and lead them to a clearing. She was right, there was a small encampment with several people sitting around. Two were mages, and there were at least six soldiers or guards as well.  
Allegra signed to Zevran to follow her away from the camp. When they had put some distance between them, she turned to him.  
“Those are Venetori.”  
Zevran had heard of the Tevinter supremacist. He also knew they were aiding the darkspawn magister who had opened the Breach.  
“Shall we take care of them?” he asked drawing his daggers.  
She nodded,”You take the guards first, I’ll get the mages.”  
They headed back to the camp.  
****  
Allegra knew the fasted way to take the mages down was probably to use her lyrium abilities, but she wanted to avoid it if possible. She popped the knives out of her sleeves and threw them, taking down two guards when they hit their marks. One in the throat the other in the spinal cord at the base of the neck. She followed right behind the knives, daggers drawn. She was on the mages before they could even stand. She stabbed both through the heart then spun. There was a third mage in the tent. He threw a fireball at her. She dodged, and his attack set the other tent on fire. Two more guards rushed out screaming, they were both on fire. She left them to Zevran. The mage was casting again. Allegra threw caution to the wind. She activated her lyrium and phased her fist straight through the mage’s shield and chest. Then she let her arm re-solidify. The look on his face as he died was one of pure shock. She pulled her fist out of the dead man’s chest and turned. Zevran was standing right behind her.  
“That is a very neat trick, but rather messy, no?”  
Allegra laughed. She didn’t know what else to do.  
“It is also why you wear gloves?” He asked.  
She nodded, still laughing. The other assassin smiled.  
“Let’s see if they have some soap and water I can use.” Allegra said, holding up her gore covered, gloved hand.  
They found some fancy smelling soap and a large pot of water which they used to wash up. Allegra stripped her gloves and cleaned them carefully with some water then conditioned them with the leather cleaner she carried. They were nice gloves, made of dragonling hide. She also took off her armored jacket to clean it too. Sticking your hand in someone’s chest gets your clothes pretty dirty. Zev washed his face and hands then set to cleaning his armor as well. The tent had stopped burning, and the clearing made a good camp site, so suggested that they rest for the remainder of the day. Allegra agreed, she hadn’t used her abilities in a long time and her lyrium tattoos were aching miserably. They sat cleaning their armor quietly. Allegra was watching Zevran watch her. She had taken off her long sleeve shirt as well, so the tattoos on her arms and hands were exposed. She could see his eyes tracing the light blue lines. Allegra sighed, "You can ask about them.”  
Zev laughed, “I am glad to get your permission. It is unwise to anger a woman who can stick her hand through your chest.” Allegra rolled her eyes, but smirked.  
“Are they lyrium? They were glowing blue earlier.” He asked  
“Yes.”  
“Were they done by the same magister who did the lyrium tattoos on the Champion of Kirkwall’s companion?”  
“Yes.”  
“Are you going to give me anything other than a single work answer?”  
“No.” Allegra said. She looked Zevran straight in the eye, giving him a serious look, then grinned.  
“Are you playing a game with me?” he asked.  
“Yes.” Allegra found herself in surprisingly good humor.  
“Well, then, I shall play along. Do they hurt?”  
“Yes.”  
“All the time?”  
“Yes.”  
He frowned.  
“Are they all over your body?”  
“No.”  
“Just on your arms?”  
“No”  
“Where else?”  
Allegra shook her head, smiling at the elven assassin.  
“Ah, only yes or no questions. Are they anyplace naughty?” He asked suggestively.  
Allegra snickered. “No!”  
“Oh,” he said in mock disappointment. “Shall I guess?”  
Allegra shook her head, her snickers had turned into full on laughter. She reached down and pulled her boots and socks off. “They’re on my feet,” she said finally regaining her composure. She showed him the fine blue swirls covering the tops and bottoms of her feet. The pattern was different from those on her arms, Danarius had designed them to allow her to walk completely silently when barefoot, with boots or shoes they still muffled the sound.  
“Why did you get them?” Zevran asked.  
Allegra shrugged. “It wasn’t my choice, it was my duty to take them. Afterwards, I realized how stupid it all was so I faked my death and left.”  
Zevran smiled, “Beautiful, deadly, and strong willed. An alluring combination.”  
Allegra laughed, “I bet you say that to everyone capable of ripping out your beating heart.”  
“That is true. I have asked you enough questions, would you like to hear about when I met the Warden?”  
Allegra’s dark eye’s light up, “Yes I would. I’ve wanted to ask about her, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk about it.”  
“She was a good woman, I miss her. But her story should be told. She’d want that.”  
Zevran told the story of how he and some fellow Crows had ambushed Kiri and her small band,. The Crows had been easily defeated but Zevran had lived and for some reason Kiri had decided not just to let him live, but recruit him. He also told about he’d flirted shamelessly with her and she’d thought he was some kind of nut. “I swear, at first she thought I had suffered from a severe head trauma. She had her friend Morrigan check me out several times. Morrigan diagnosed me as a disgusting flirt. There was a feisty woman.”  
Allegra laughed, “Kiri sounds wonderful. I know it's silly, but I have to ask, is it true the King of Ferelden was her lover?” She leaned forward, waiting to hear.  
“It is, they were so adorable too. Alistair was very sweet but shy and Kiri was the worst flirt I have ever seen. They both needed a lot help from Leliana and I.”  
“Really?”  
Zevran nodded. “Kiri was a fearsome warrior and surprisingly skilled in negotiation but around her little princeling… Well, she tried to tell him he was handsome once but botched it and told him ‘You fight good’ instead and then ran away in embarrassment. She wiped out a Carta base almost single handed before being recruited to the Wardens but couldn’t tell one shy, awkward man she liked him.”  
“She told him he fought good?” Allegra asked, she couldn't help but giggle.  
“Oh, yes. It wasn’t until Leliana talked Alistair into giving Kiri some flowers that they started to move past the awkward stage.” He laughed, “Mostly.” He added.  
Zevran entertained Allegra with stories of the warden until well into the night before he went to sleep, and she took first watch.  
****  
The rest of the trip to Skyhold was uneventful. They were able to obtain horses from another Inquisition camp, so the trip took less time than they expected. Skyhold was huge, much bigger than Allegra had expected. They headed through the gates and were met by two guards. One took their horses and the other lead them into the fortress. They were escorted through the large main hall to a side chamber. A dark haired Antivian woman greeted them.  
“I am Josephine Montilyet, the Inquisition’s Ambassador. Please follow me; Leliana, the Inquisitor, and Dorian will be joining us in moment.” She lead them through a door into a hall that was missing a wall. Allegra stopped for a moment to appreciate the view, they were high up and the hole looked out over the mountain range.  
They entered what was obviously the Inquisition’s War Room. There was a large table surrounded by chairs in the middle of the room, charts hung on all the walls, and there was a large rack of maps. Josephine indicated they should sit. They didn’t wait long before the door opened again. Two women entered, one elf and one human, and a tall curly haired man. Zevran jumped to his feet and hugged the human woman. “Leliana! It has been so long.”  
“Zevran, my friend, I have missed you. This is the Inquisitor and Commander Cullen.”  
The small elf woman smiled, giving Zevran a small bow. He replied by taking her hand and kissing it. The commander made a small, displeased noise and Zevran grabbed his hand and kissed it too. The man turned bright red and the Inquisitor covered the mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh. Zevran grinned. The Inquisitor then turned to Allegra who had also stood. She came over and gave Allegra a small bow  
“Dorian will be here in a moment. You look very much like him.” she said. “You can both call me Seth, Leliana is too formal.”  
Then Dorian came in. They did look a lot like each other, almost like siblings. Dorian was taller, but had the same dark hair and eyes. They had the same face shape too.  
“Allegra! I was hoping it was really you.” To Allegra’s surprise he crossed the room and hugged her. She gasped a little in pain at the unexpected touch. “What’s wrong?” he let her go and took a small step back.  
“It’s part of the reason I came.” She took off her gloves and jacket revealing the lyrium tattoos underneath. She was wearing a sleeveless top so they were completely exposed.  
Seth’s face took on a serious expression. “Get Varric, now.” She said, turning to Josephine who nodded and bustled out. A moment later she returned with a dwarf. It was Varric Tethras, Allegra recognized him for his portrait inside his books. He walked over to her, she held out her arm for him to see better.  
“Shit. Danarius?”  
She nodded.  
“Before or after Broody.” He asked.  
“After. I was supposed to be the more stable version. I don’t have as much power as he does, but I also didn’t have as bad side effects.”  
“You can do the glow fisting thing?”  
“Oh, yes. I have seen it in action.” Zevran added, “We had a small run in with some Venatori.”  
“I can also sense mages and the tattoos on my feet make me very quiet.” Allegra said, pulling her jacket back on.  
“I don’t envy you lady. Broody, I mean Fenris, said those thing hurt like hell.”  
“They do, but you get used to it after a while. At least I don’t have them all over my body, it must be worse for him.”  
Dorian was watching her silently. “Did my father do this to you?” He asked very quietly.  
“What?” Allegra hadn’t heard him.  
“Did my father do this to you? Did he do it against your will? He sent you away because you didn’t have magic, did he make you a guinea pig for some sick experiment too?” He was angry, she could feel the prickle of magic coming from him.  
“Dorian,” the Inquisitor said putting a hand on his arm. He took a deep breath.  
“Allegra, just tell me. Yes or no, did my father have this done to you?”  
“Yes.” she said. Allegra looked at him and saw the cute little boy she remembered before she was sent away for training. She hugged him tightly. “Don’t be sad Doorin.” She said softly.  
Her cousin hugged her back, “No one’s called me that since you left.” They let go of each other. She patted her little cousin on the back.  
“I want to offer my services to you, Inquisitor. I am trained in assassination, I specialize in stealth, and I do possess some rather rare abilities. Zevran can attest to my skill.”  
The Inquisitor smiled, “Welcome to the Inquisition.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, the "You fight good" thing was a Mulan reference.
> 
> Dorian and Allegra share a certain irreverence and flippancy, perhaps it's a family trait.
> 
> I didn't take Zev into the tower with me, so he hasn't met Cullen.


End file.
